* originally posted on 10.9.2012
last night, for the second time in less than a week, gaza was again attacked by the over-equipped zionist airforces. unlike last week, no one was immediately murdered in the attack, but five people, including two children, were severely injured.
photo: Abed Rahim Khatib-Paldf
photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
again, i think of mohammad and ibrahim who were injured in one of the airstrikes on the gaza strip last ramadan (august 2011). mohammad wasn’t even mentioned in any report, ibrahim was only mentioned as a child who had lost a hand in the attack. they were only two of of the four children that were murdered and six children that were injured during the airstrikes in the last two weeks of ramadan. i think of ibrahim who died in an israeli hospital, isolated from his family, at the age of 12. i think of all the treatment that mohammad has been receiving and is STILL receiving in order to heal as best as possible from his many severe injuries, and i think of how he has been healing this well only because a handful of people has been massively supporting his recovery, who have fundraised, persuaded hospitals to take him on, brought food, clothes, books etc. to mohammad and his father every day while they where not allowed to leave the israeli hospital, got permits for his mother to come and see him, etc etc etc.
i would be surprised if the two children that were injured last night received any similar support. i can’t imagine how long their healing will take. certainly longer than the period until the next airstrike and the next injury or murder of some other child.
last week, on sept 6, six people were murdered during another series of airstrikes on the people of the gaza strip.
(see this overview of attacks on gaza last month and their consequences or see this timeline of reported attacks on gaza in general)
i meant to write a summary of the major things that have happened these past few days, but when I think about all of it, I feel so overwhelmed and want to go to bed. just know that we’ve had more children violently arrested, more people displaced as their homes were demolished, many many more attacks by settler colonists -including with guns – on palestinian civilians, including children. more night raids. more incursions. more expansion of illegal colonies. etc etc etc
meanwhile three hunger strikers are breaking records and dying
one thing that i feel ashamed of not having written before: there are currently three prisoners on extended hunger strike and at immediate risk of death. samer al barq is on the 112 consecutive day of renewed hunger strike!! and hassan safadi is on the 82nd day of renewed hunger strike. hassan’s mother is in critical condition in hospital herself. ayman sharawna is on his 72nd day of hunger strike.
we are getting used to record lengths of hunger strike, i know i am getting used to it. thankfully, there are people out there who are protesting, some of whom are striking in solidarity (for instance at a university campus in the US) to help draw attention to the struggle of the hunger strikers and help increase pressure.
please read about the prisoners and do what you can